Wildfire near Truckee contained at 50 acres

TRUCKEE - Firefighters expected full containment Sunday evening of a 50-acre blaze that started Friday in a Truckee River Canyon near Interstate 80 in Floriston, 20 miles east of Truckee.

With stiff winds fanning the flames, area fire agencies dispatched as many as 210 firefighters, along with six air tankers, four helicopters, 25 engines, one bulldozer and six water tenders Friday afternoon. By Sunday, personnel on the scene were reduced when the fire was determined to be controlled.

By 6:30 p.m. Friday, about 50 acres had burned with about 20 percent containment, said Daniel Berlant of the California Department of Forestry.

"The fire is burning in heavy timber in very steep terrain and high winds are making it difficult," Berlant said Friday.

No structures were threatened and no road closures were reported. One firefighter was pulled off the lines with heat exhaustion, Berlant said.

Crews were dispatched from Truckee, North Lake Tahoe Fire District, the CDF and the U.S. Forest Service.

Berlant said that while Interstate 80 remained open, were causing a slowdown.

"There is some distraction with the aircraft in the air and helicopters filling their buckets from the (Truckee) river," he said. "Traffic is moving slowly."

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Berlant said.